A New Friend
by Sesquipedalian Numeral
Summary: Carol wants to get a special present for Lori, and she goes to the mall to find the perfect gift. However, there's a certain ditzy fashionista that works in the store, and Carol's not sure she can really ask her for help.


**This fanfiction is dedicated to Gumball2. He is honestly one of my best friends in the fandom, words cannot describe just how highly I think of him. Not only is he a great author responsible for writing my favorite fanfiction of all time (My Sister Leni), but he's just been an amazing person overall. He's read over the vast majority of everything I post on here, he's always consistently given good feedback and advice, he was someone that really made me believe I could write quality content if I set my mind to it. Even outside of writing and TLH, he is legitimately one of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. He's consistently displayed a selflessness unlike any other, and he's been such a good person to talk to for just about anything really. Whether it be to help with writing, or real talk, or just having a good time, he's been nothing but the best. It would mean the world to me if you could at least check out some of his materials he has posted here. Thank you very much, and please enjoy!**

A bell jingled as the door opened , signaling another customer's entry to the Reininger store. In came Carol Pingrey, gripping her purse and proudly wearing a smile as she walked through. She had already finished her morning violin lesson, while the rest of her day was booked with homework assignments and college applications. There was so much abuzz in this crazy, chaotic world, especially with only a week left before Christmas. And yet , despite all this, she considered this shopping trip to be the most important part of her day. After all, she had come here with a very special purpose for a very special someone.

She dug into her purse and pulled out her phone, unlocking it to take a glance at a background she had looked at a million times over.

On it was a picture of the first selfie she and her best friend Lori took the first time they met at the mall. It was funny, after everything that had happened, she didn't think they could ever hit it off. Lori had this personal vendetta ever since Carol sold more cookies for the bluebell scouts. Hurtful statements like 'pretentious' or a mocking 'perfect' were heard many times throughout the years. Yes, Carol still held her head up high the whole time, but a part of her always longed to be friends. None of those superficial achievements such as selling more cookies, winning homecoming queen, or winning a few more golf games could ever compare to a human treasure like Lori.

Sure, she might have had better hair, and might have gotten onto the varsity golf team her freshman year, but most importantly, she had heart. She had ten siblings who all looked up to her, and she lovingly gave them her undivided attention. Not only that, but she somehow made time for her friends, especially her amazing boyfriend who lived three hours away. She even gave Carol a chance. Despite Lori's preconceived notions and particular disdain, she had it in herself to make the first move. And what a wonderful first move it was!

Staring at the phone screen a little longer, Carol almost got butterflies in her stomach. Gosh, she loved that selfie so much. From sworn rivals to the bestest of friends. They were ridiculous! Such a fun picture with such an amazing person! All their troubles behind them, she could rest assured that Lori would always be there to pass the time, laugh at their past, give her comfort in darker times, and give reassurance that she was a worthwhile person. She'd go to the end of the world to be with her. Their friendship was one she wouldn't ever trade for anything.

Carol put her phone close to her chest, almost as if she were hugging it, before she put it back in her purse. No material present could ever compare to the gift of friendship, but she had to at least show some kind of gratitude, in whatever little way she could! And so , she found herself at a fashion store, ready to pick out a piece for Lori, one that would be _literally perfect_ for her.

With her head held up high, she scanned the store for anything that stood out to her.

It was at that moment however, that something immediately stood out to her. But it wasn't just any bright copper kettle or warm woolen mitten. It was a person working nearby, one she barely recognized, but was familiar enough with to immediately bat her eyes away.

That girl… seafoam green dress, white frills, triangular sleeves. Red hoop earrings, white sandals, topped with light green bows. Large white sunglasses on top of her head. Wasn't that- wait, that's Lori's sister!

Once again, she took her phone out of her purse and loaded up SwiftyPic, wasting no time tapping on her best friend's profile and scrolling through the pictures. And sure enough, there were several selfies of Lori and Leni in the same photo (yeah, that was her name!). Selfies at a pool, selfies on vacation, hundreds of selfies in their room, they went on and on. From what she could tell, they really seemed to enjoy each other's company, practically besties!

Before she could be spotted, Carol immediately hid behind a coat rack, peeking through the gaps to gaze at her a little longer. Normally, she wouldn't mind seeing people she knew in the mall; After all, she wasn't a social outcast. She knew how to make conversation! And talking to strangers was even easier! Heck, she did it all the time! After all, when you're class president and on track to be the valedictorian, there are bound to be a lot of people who wanna talk to you! But none of them really _knew_ her. Not the way Lori did anyway. They could make small talk and the conversation would be over with fast.

But this girl- what was her name, Leni? She wasn't just any stranger. She was related to Lori, her best friend! And they probably talked about her all the time. At least, she hoped she did. Carol wanted to talk about Lori all the time, but it wasn't like she had people at home to talk with anyway (the woes of being an only child!).

Besides, she wasn't sure she'd really be able to make much conversation. Of course, she had seen Leni around a few times, and put simply, she didn't feel like they could be friends. This girl, uh, how to put this... didn't seem very bright. Carol had seen her little ditzy moments in passing, and Lori had told her some stories before. There was that time they went on a road trip and she made egg salad sandwiches for everyone several weeks in advance under the guise that she was 'really excited'. She seemed really well-intentioned and nice, but Carol wasn't sure a soon-to-be valedictorian like her could really connect with her.

So, she started strolling through the store, looking through the various aisles, racks, and display cases to behold. She found herself enamored by the variety, whether they be different materials, colors, designs… it was astounding what creativity went into making these items. She couldn't help but appreciate the meticulous craftsmanship behind each individual product.

A blue sweater jacket protruded from a rack, and it caught Carol's attention. It strongly resembled Lori's personal color scheme, and she couldn't help but stop to inspect it. After pulling it off the rack, she held a sleeve up and measured its arm length, taking note of its silky smooth texture. It felt really nice on the outside, and it didn't look so bad at first glance.

However, the more she thought about it, the more she found herself aversed by the idea. Lori already had one of these. What kind of friend would she be, if she bought her something she already had! This gift had to be something _special_.

With a shake of her head, she put the down sweater back and strolled along, all while keeping one eye out for the girl she didn't want to have an awkward encounter with. There was so much in the store, one of these had to be it!

Quickly, she spotted a woolen scarf hanging on a rack, again with the signature blue color that Lori sported so often. Carol immediately beelined towards it and tried it on herself, wrapping herself in its warmth. However, she was greeted with a scratchy sensation nagging at her neck. What more, whenever she breathed, the hot air gathered on the scarf, making her feel too warm, and not in the good way. She unwrapped the article from her face and put it back where it came from. If Lori felt the same way she did, that would be a horrible gift for her!

Carol dug into her purse and pulled out her phone, ready to text Lori in her time of need. She started typing, but then had to pause. Lori couldn't help her. This was supposed to be a surprise present for _her._ What would the point be if she just asked her what she wanted? It had to come from the heart, right?

It's okay. This was just the beginning. She'd find something. Deep breaths. Whew.

Off in the corner of her eye, she saw Leni, who was now hanging some shirts on some hangars. For a moment, she couldn't help but glance at her again, observing her from a distance. Something about that girl just called to Carol. Yes, she was related to Lori. But with every action she took, there seemed to be a genuine care that accompanied them, from the loving tenderness she handled every cloth with, to the delicate touch she had while putting them on display. No doubt, this was someone that really loved their job.

Shaking those thoughts out of her mind, she continued pacing through the rows, scanning the walls and inspecting every hangar or display case. From the mittens, to the gloves, to the snow hats and the ear muffs! Nothing seemed to really call for her attention! From one big section to another, she was greeted with a whole array of options, all somehow without that special something" for Lori!

All the while, she constantly kept an eye out for Leni. She couldn't quite explain it, but something about her just told her to stay away. It didn't make sense, really. The more her eyes landed on the ditzy fashionista in the distance, the more she was intrigued, and the more she felt the need to stay away. She had a present to find, and she was nowhere near close to finding it!

A slower stroll through the store slowly turned into a regular pace, and then turned into a frantic speedwalk, as she started running through the same aisles she had already browsed several times. The more time passed and the more she browsed, the more her hopes dwindled. This was supposed to be a quick fifteen minute trip! Yet, nothing called out to her!

After she had run through all the same aisles and racks, Carol stopped to unlock her phone and look the home screen again. This time, there was a despondence to her gaze, as she hung her head and let out a sigh. She tried so hard to be a good friend, she wanted to be a good friend! Lori was always so good to her, they were the bestest of besties! And yet, she couldn't find her a stinkin' present for Christmas, just how close were they really? Did she really know her as well as she thought she did? All those times she longed for her... was that really her, or what Carol wanted her to be?

A glance up from the screen, and she saw Leni once again, this time restocking a pile of gloves in a basket. Instinctively, Carol looked away as she had for the past hour or so. This aversion, why was she feeling it? It was starting to really bother her.

Again, she shook her head, turned the phone off and put it back in her purse, before looking ahead at the wide assortment of clothes in store. There were so many of them… so many factors to consider, so many doubts, so many insecurities plaguing her mind. Usually, Lori would be there for her, whether it be a warm embrace in person, a comforting talk, a texting session that would last for hours…

But for once, she couldn't rely on her for support. She was truly on her own.

This situation was so hopeless, who else could she turn to? She was still empty-handed, and with time running out in the day, was there anything else she could do? Anyone else to talk to?

She turned her head to Leni once more, who was now hanging new coats up on the racks, still radiating the same positive attitude she always did.

Oh, no. She was thinking about it.

Carol was gonna talk to Leni.

Her conscience begged her to reconsider, and thankfully, her body obeyed for now. But there was an itch in the back of her mind that jeopardized the whole operation. A part of her longed to talk to this new girl for reasons she couldn't fully understand. Maybe it was because Lori was one of a kind, and Leni was her sister. Her external demeanor was certainly pulling her in as well.

But many things could go wrong! What were they even going to talk about? Could they maintain a conversation? Would Carol ever be able to live down the existential dread at having to jettison in the middle of a conversation? Valedictorians and class presidents always knew what to do, they talked to a lot of people! What a disgrace it would be to not uphold that! She had a reputation to maintain!

Lost in thought as she mulled through her options, she had just completed her second run around the store. And despite it all, she was still nowhere near to finding the perfect gift for Lori. She couldn't ignore her. No matter how hard Carol tried. She couldn't just pretend Leni wasn't there. There was just Something about her that made her presence impossible to overlook. Maybe it was that she was Lori's sister, maybe it was that she could actually help her, and maybe it was that she reminded Carol just why she felt so weird about all this in the first place. And yet, there was this longing desire to say something to her, the same kind she felt when she met Lori all those years ago. Here she was, left to fester and rot in her own self-doubt, like she had previously before. Stupid!

Eventually, she stopped pacing, dug into her purse, pulled out her phone and looked at the same background she had checked several times for reassurance and guidance. The same selfie of them together, the first time they met in the mall.

Once upon a time, Lori had the courage to walk up to Carol and talk to her, despite all the prejudice and disdain lingering between them. Lori had the courage to confront her fears, and she had the humility to say that Carol had won. It was because of this that they became the bestest of friends. Ones that could trust each other to share their fears and insecurities, their life goals and dreams, to simply be able to enjoy each other's presence, and to be a source of comfort and reassurance for each other in times of need.

Lori had given the gift of friendship by taking the initiative. No more would Carol let herself wallow in her doubts the same way she and Lori had all those years! It would be a new beginning! If her best friend could give someone like her a chance, then Carol could definitely give Leni a chance as well!

With a deep breath, she gripped her purse tightly and worked up the courage to walk towards Leni. She timidly paced over with little steps, her eyes unable to focus on the girl up ahead. She wasn't like, staring or anything. No, Carol didn't stare. She just didn't want it to be too creepy is all!

Eventually, she stood right behind her target, where Leni still folded the scarves and placed them on the shelf. Taking out her phone, she looked at the lockscreen for reassurance.

She took a deep breath and broke her gaze from the phone, before fixating on the girl ahead of her. It was time.

"Uh, hi Leni!" she waved.

The ditzy fashionista turned her head, while her eyes lit up as she recognized the girl before her. "Oh, I know you!"

"Yeah, I might have seen you in passing a few times," she admitted.

"Totes! You've been wandering around this store for like, the past hour!" Leni cheerfully commented.

Carol's veins froze at that. She noticed? Now sounded like a good time to abort the mission and pretend they never met. Gosh, that was so stupid! She probably looked real stupid the whole time too! But they had just started talking! If she left now, that would leave a really poor mark on her reputation! What if she cried to Lori about this? She couldn't have that!

And so, she troopered on. Her foot was in the door, now all she had to do was step all the way through! "Oh, haha, yeah, I actually wanted to talk about your sister."

"You mean Lori, right?" Leni asked, hanging the last coat up on the rack. "She's like, my best friend!"

A slight blush started warming up her cheeks, and her heart started fluttering at the thought. Yeah, best friends. Lori was such a wonderful person, nothing but the sweetest, kindest, most understanding person she had ever met! Even just being next to her gave off this amazingly positive feeling indescribable beyond words. Maybe more than best friends did.

"Yeah," she confirmed, putting a hand up her cheek and glancing away with a smile. "She's great."

"So what can I help you with?" Leni asked. Not once did Leni ever drip with a hint of condescension or scorn. Her voice was radiant with sincerity and kindness, very similar to her older sister.

"Well, uh, I'm trying to buy Lori a gift, but I can't figure out what to get her…" Carol sighed. "I thought maybe you might be able to help. I've checked every part of the store, but nothing!"

"Well, you haven't checked this one!" Leni commented motioned towards a nearby aisle

Carol took a second to look at the area where Leni was unpacking, now noticing a whole new assortment of coats to choose from. Despite running around the store several times, she had somehow missed all of these. All this time, she had been avoiding Leni so hard that she never actually saw the obvious answer right in front of her face! Turns out, even she could make mistakes too, silly her.

She started searching through the section she missed, pulling out the jackets, inspecting each scarf and mitt! Even still, nothing called to her! There just wasn't that perfect gift that Lori would ever want. She had been granted a little bit of hope, and it was mercilessly dashed like that. As she grabbed the last coat on the end of the rack, all she could do was let it drop and leave it hanging, her dreams dwindling with it.

"I couldn't find it…" Carol muttered to herself.

"Oh... " Leni's gaze softened at the defeat plastered all over Carol's face. "I'm sorry… I know you've been here for a while."

"It's okay," Carol half-heartedly said, unable to bring herself to look at her. "I've been so bad to Lori… I never get her anything and she's always doing stuff for me…" she hung her head in shame as she started making her way towards the entrance, a few hours wasted and nothing to show for it.

"No, Carol, wait!" Leni called to her. "Lemme try and help."

She stopped in her tracks and turned her head sideways, but didn't actually face Leni. "What else can you do? I checked this entire store three times over."

"You were barely looking at these!" Leni replied, gesturing her arms towards the shelf she was restocking. "I think you're really frustrated. Just take some time to relax! Deep breaths, count to ten. I know a smoothie place around here, you can go there! Their kale juice is the best!"

"Wait…" Carol raised an eyebrow as she turned to acknowledge Leni. "You… actually like that flavor?"

"Totes!" she chirped in response.

A grin started to form on Carol's face. "Shut up!" she chuckled, waving her hand downwards.

"No one ever wants to try it!" Leni asserted. "Everyone always thinks it's gonna take super nasty and weird!"

Carol's eyes lit up at the ongoing conversation between the two. She wasn't entirely sure if this would actually lead anywhere, but she had never talked to an employee beyond asking for help in a store before. This was a totally new experience, and it was kind of exciting.

"Hah, yeah, too bad they're so overpriced," Carol said. "How much are they, like six dollars a pop?"

"Oh! Since you're Lori's friend…" Leni started digging into her pocket, pulled out what looked like a gift card for the smoothie shop and handed it over to her.

Carol stood awestruck with dropped jaws. "No way!" Carol responded. "Why!?"

"Oh the guys at the smoothie store give me free gift cards sometimes!"

"Yeah but- HOW!?"

"I don't know," Leni admitted. "I don't think I really do anything. Just be nice to everyone, say hi, help people that need it, ask how everyone's day is, just basic stuff. It's so nice to see everyone be nice to me too!"

Carol's jaws dropped at that. She couldn't help but be awed by the kind virtuous nature of Leni, and how easy she made it seem. Simple things like greeting people really did go a long way for her. Those were things not even Carol could do. It took a lot of courage for her to even begin talking to Leni, to greet everyone in the mall sounded like a monumental journey in itself!

"Oh wow, that's actually amazing!" she said, a little shocked. "Do you go around here a lot?"

"All the time!" Leni said. "I work here, and I always come here on the weekends! Sometimes with friends and family too, it's a lot of fun!"

"Get in loser, we're going shopping!" Carol said with a smile.

Leni gasped at that. "OMGosh where'd you hear that!?"

"Mean Girls. Duh!" Carol pointed at her head as she said the last word.

"I'm a mouse, duh!" Leni mimicked her gesture.

"That is so fetch!" she said, emphasizing the last word.

They both started laughing at that. As nonsensical as they were, they had found a few strange things in common they wouldn't have otherwise known.

"Okay, but can I just take a moment to point out how _crazy_ that movie is!?" Carol said with a gleeful chuckle. "I used to be so scared of high school, they made the girl world look so out of control!"

"Yeah!" Leni agreed. "I mean, what about that burn book? It's not burnt at all! They also wrote all sorts of mean things in there. That's not nice!"

Hah, classic Leni. Sure, she was a ditz, but her kind and virtuous nature was truly one of a kind. When she tried to help, she went the whole distance. These little gestures, they looked so easy, but they made such a difference. A kind word could make someone's day, a kind person could make a difference in the world. Carol found herself rather endeared by this person, all the preconceived notions melting away and conceding herself to the pleasant company this newfound connection gave her.

"This whole burn book and girl world thing is just so much drama, I'm so glad we don't have to deal with this," Carol said.

"Yeah, I feel kinda bad though, those poor girls can never get a break," Leni commented. "If only Cady could just live in some rural area in the middle of nowhere so she wouldn't have to think about school drama to begin with!"

"You know, I've actually thought about this before," Carol said, rubbing her chin. "There's always so much happening around here, like homework, classes, seeing friends, sometimes I wonder what it's like to not worry about it."

"Oh, it's crazy! So many stores, and lights, and cars, and sounds, there's stuff going on everywhere!" Leni put her hands on the side of her head with a slight nervous tone.

Carol's gaze softened as she saw this short burst of distress from her. "Do you… ever think about moving out?"

"Gosh no!" Leni dismissed with a wave of her hand. "I love this town too much. Look at all the amazing friends I've made here! Look at all these amazing stores! Look at this amazing job I have!" she spread her arms out and twirled around in a circle for emphasis.

"So, what about everything you just said? Carol asked. "The lights and sounds?"

"Okay, so I love the mall, I love the town, I really do!" Leni started. "But like I said, sometimes I just really want some time away from it, you know? It's all so confusing sometimes, everything goes so fast! It's kinda hard to explain…" her voice took a downward shift at that.

"No no! Go on!" Carol encouraged her. Sure, Leni might take time to organize her thoughts, but admittedly, they did sound kinda fascinating.

"Well, there's like so many people to talk to, so many things to remember, so much to do!" she continued. "Couldn't I just like, be alone? Lie on some grass? The wind feels nice… so peaceful…" she spoke as if almost in a trance, or reminiscing on the past.

While Leni ranted on about living a country life, Carol felt a buzz on her phone. She took it out of her purse and quickly took a glance at the notification that popped up on the screen. It was now 2:00, and there was a reminder on screen telling her to do her homework.

She liked keeping herself honest with these reminders. A busy person like her benefited from dividing her day into segments and managing her productivity. But in this instance, she merely smiled, returned the phone to her purse, and focused her attention back on Leni. Every once in a while, the time called for her to ignore them and continue on with what she was doing. This wasn't just your average case of procrastination or laziness. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a new friend.

Whatever doubts lingered in Carol's mind was now a distant memory. What used to be a profoundly diabolical mental prison was now a silly little gripe of the past. When it came down to it, making a friend didn't have to be difficult! Work up the confidence to talk to someone, say a word, and let the conversation fly!

What started as small talk became a full blown conversation. A minute became ten, and that became an hour. So many reminder notifications buzzed on Carol's phone and she ignored them all, completely engrossed in this five-hour conversation she ultimately got caught up in. It all felt like such a blur. They had covered all sorts of things! Living a country life, chick flicks, fashion, school drama, their personal lives, nearly everything under the sun! Even after Leni's shift ended, they went to the smoothie store and kept talking over kale juice smoothies. This spontaneous conversation could keep going forever!

But alas, every conversation eventually had to come to an end. It was getting dark, and they both had to return to their homes. A quick wave and an exchange of phone numbers later, they went their separate ways.

Carol took out her phone to check it for the first time in almost half a day. A whole stack of notifications greeted her, yet she swiped past all of them to open the messenger app. Immediately as she did so, she was greeted with another notification from the very person she was about to text.

 _Lori: You talked to Leni today?_

Fingers tapping the screen at blinding speed, she responded:

 _Carol: Yep! She's great!_

 _Lori: What'd you talk to her about?_

She paused to think for a moment, considering how to respond. God, where to even start? They talked about all sorts of things! It was all such a blur, conversations jumped all over the place, they were practically best buddies! How could she even begin to explain such a wonderful first encounter?

Eventually, she typed:

 _Carol: We talked for 5 hours_

 _Lori: That's literally perfect! Thanks for the gift :D_

 _Carol: Huh?_

The trademark ellipsis showed up at the bottom, indicating her friend was typing. Those cursed dots somehow slowed time to a crawl as she anxiously awaited an explanation.

 _Lori: You became friends with Leni. You gave her the gift of friendship._

Carol did a slight audible gasp to herself as she read that message. She had completely forgotten about the gift by then, but it all came back to her. She never actually ended up buying anything! Just left the store, talked to Leni, and called it a day!

Within a few seconds however, this moment of surprise quickly replaced itself with genuine glee. The more she thought about it, the more content she was with the situation. Sure, she didn't actually find a physical item to give her, but none of that mattered now. Sometimes, the best things in life came from the most unexpected of places. The gift of friendship, especially with her best friend's sister nonetheless, that was priceless.

Today, Carol had the courage to talk to someone new. That was the best chance she ever took.

 **Thanks to JamesSunderlandPillow and OmegaUltra for quickly reading over this story I wrote in like, 2 days before submitting! I really appreciate you dudes for your own reasons as well :)**

 **Thanks to the readers for taking the time to read this as well! Please do share thoughts, criticism and positives alike! I always like hearing them!**

 **And thanks to Gumball2 for everything again, seriously. I specifically wrote this with you in mind, and** **I hope you get a type of enjoyment out of this that may not necessarily be noticed or understood by everyone else.** **You really mean the world to me man, as long as you enjoy this that's all that matters to me. Thank you so much for being who you are.**


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